Red satin

Chapter 29

Lu Ziming released Qin Jin and went to pull Ke Liang, who had already crawled into the golden cage. He only managed to grab a corner of Ke Liang's clothes. Lu Ziming cursed, "You bastard Ke Liang, why should you go to your death? Why are you going to your death? Get out of here! No! Don't leave us again!"

Lu Ziming also tried to squeeze into the golden cage, but a powerful force pushed him out. After Ke Liang went in, he immediately pounced on the body of the witch who was tied up by his grandfather. He silently recited the incantation, single-minded. The witch looked at the most inconspicuous person who actually possessed such power, and a trace of fear appeared in her eyes, but she calmed down in the blink of an eye. So be it, capture him and put him inside her body. If she didn't kill Ke Liang, she could control him and he would be even more useful.

Ke Liang and the witch merged into one, and the witch was completely captured into Ke Liang's body. This was the best time to kill the witch. All that was needed was to kill Ke Liang, as the witch's power had not yet been restored in her new body.

The four guardians rushed over immediately, all wanting to enter the barrier and kill the sorcerer. However, the barrier's power was so great that the four guardians had already used up a lot of their energy while using the golden dragon, and now they simply couldn't get in.

Lu Ziming wanted to go in, but couldn't. He only saw Qin Jin slowly stand up. Her expression had turned calm, as if she had no joy or sorrow, and no distracting thoughts. After the great grief, her mind was clear and empty, with only one thought: she must rescue Ke Liang.

Although she was blind, she walked accurately toward Ke Liang, and everyone stared at her in amazement, making way for her.

She reached out and touched it, shouting, "Two, two, I won't let you die!"

The barrier was easily torn open by her hand; it was useless against her.

The four sages looked at her, then at Ke Liang, who was fighting the witch inside his body. Finally, Old Man Li transformed into a sword and fell into Qin Jin's hand. Although he didn't say anything, he had already told her through his actions: Kill Ke Liang!

Qin Jin silently carried her sword and passed through the barrier. Ke Liang, seeing her arrival, shouted, "Kill me quickly, I can't hold on much longer."

Qin Jin heard the sound, swung his sword, and the sword hummed. It was a thousand-year-old demon-slaying sword. The sword was swung towards Ke Liang's heart, as if it knew its way around.

If Qin Jin exerted even the slightest force, Wu would die, and of course, Ke Liang would also die.

With just a slight exertion, the sword could pierce Ke Liang's heart, and the whole story would end. But Qin Jin's hand trembled, and Lu Ziming desperately tried to break the barrier, shouting, "No, no!" But nothing could be heard inside the barrier.

Ke Liang said, "What are you still doing? Hurry up and stab! The witch has woken up and will recover soon."

Qin Jin's hands trembled even more violently.

"Qin Xiaomi, you piece of trash, how can you be so useless? Now is not the time for you to be soft-hearted. If I don't die, you will be the one who dies in a moment, as will Lu Ziming, and everyone outside. Do you know that? This is not only my life, but also my responsibility. I am a member of the Ke family. Please grant me my wish."

Qin Jin shook her head repeatedly, tears streaming down her face.

"Qin Xiaomi, you're such a fool!" Ke Liang's eyes also welled up with tears.

“I’ve always been a useless person. I can’t study, I can’t do anything proper, I can’t make you happy, and I can’t chase girls. At least Lu Ziming is an excellent policeman, but I’m nothing. I’m just a fake Taoist priest. I can’t even learn the most basic Ke family Taoist magic. All I can do is use the most shameful exorcism blood.” Ke Liang raised his head, looked at the woman he loved most, and spoke his true feelings.

"That's why I was so cynical. Because I was insecure, I couldn't do anything right. Apart from my family being rich, there was nothing I was good at. I escaped danger thanks to my family heirloom. Every time I was able to do something well, it was because of my family or my ancestors."

Ke Liang said firmly, "But this time, I feel like I'm a member of the Ke family, at least I won't disgrace the Ke family. I did it. I can capture the most difficult shaman, I captured him with my own body. But if you don't kill me, I will be controlled by the shaman, and even in death I will be a shameful fake Taoist priest of the Ke family. So, please, kill me!"

Ke Liang knelt on the ground and bowed his head to Qin Jin.

Qin Jin gritted her teeth and plunged the knife into Ke Liang's chest, drawing blood. However, Qin Jin broke down at the most crucial moment. She couldn't deliver the final blow; instead, she dropped the sword, rushed forward, and hugged Ke Liang, saying, "I don't care. I don't care if you're a great person, a true or false Celestial Master, or whether you're successful or not. I don't care. I only know that I love you, and I love you just the way you are. I don't want to fulfill your wishes."

Qin Jin burst into tears: "I've granted your wish, but who will grant mine? I forced my best friend to his death, I killed my favorite cat, and now you're forcing me to kill the person I love most. I can't, I can't do it, I'm useless, I'm not ruthless enough."

"But I'd rather not be ruthless enough than lose you. I'm not afraid of being laughed at, and I don't want to be a hero. Being with you is enough. No matter what our fate was in our past life, in this life, I can never kill you."

Ke Liang raised his head and said, "You fool, even if I die, Lu Ziming will still take care of you. If you die too, how can I bear it? Do you think I want to die? I said I would protect you for the rest of my life, and be your eyes for all eternity. You are really foolish, but I can't do it now, I really can't. Look at my hands, they have become demons. Soon, they will kill you."

Ke Liang raised his hand, which had turned blood red and was covered in blood.

“If you don’t kill me, you’ve truly lost. All the suffering we’ve endured and the sacrifices we’ve made will have been in vain.”

Qin Jin still refused to pick up the sword: "I'd rather we lose this life than kill you. I don't care about winning or losing, nor do I care about the suffering. But if I kill you, will we win? What's the point of winning? I can't do this. You can't be so cruel as to force me."

Ke Liang suddenly said in anguish, "Kill me, I can't beat it anymore."

It was clear he was struggling to control himself. Qin Jin held him and saw him thrashing about in the cage, unable to find a way out. He had already broken his head and was bleeding profusely. When he turned around again, his eyes had turned blood red.

"Get out of here quickly," Ke Liang said, enunciating each word clearly.

But it was too late. Ke Liang's bleeding hands were already at Qin Jin's neck. Qin Jin just stared at him without complaint or regret. Ke Liang was having a fierce internal struggle with Wu.

The shaman's voice rang out: "You think you can fight me? You're too far off!"

Qin Jin's eyes rolled back as she was being choked, and she said with difficulty, "Ke Liang, don't give up."

"Qin Jin! Qin Jin!" Lu Ziming paced anxiously outside the barrier.

"Kill me now, Qin Jin!" Ke Liang's voice rang out again, his grip loosened, and he fell to the ground.

But Qin Jin refused to pick up the sword again, ignoring its sharp clang. Her eyes were fixed on Ke Liang, not wanting to miss a single minute. Although she couldn't see anything, her gaze was gentle. Sometimes, some people are unseen but imprinted in one's heart.

All the deep affection could not continue. Even just one more glance would have been good. Who knows if we will have a next life together? It's a pity that we never said a word of love in this life, not even the word "love".

But what difference does it make whether we say we love each other or not at this point? Isn't this what it means to be willing to die for each other?

Qin Jin knelt and embraced the agonizing Ke Liang, muttering to herself, "Why couldn't we just be an ordinary couple? We met at school. You had a bad temper, and I was willful. We couldn't be together forever, but even just spending a day bickering and carefree with you would be lucky! Why were we chosen by fate? Actually, I have so much to say to you. Every day we're together, we talk, and I'm afraid that one day our conversation will stop and we won't be able to continue." Qin Jin looked up at the Buddha and asked.

Ke Liang's hands had turned red inch by inch up to his arms. Once the redness spread to his heart, Ke Liang would lose control of the witch.

Qin Jin could no longer see that scene: "Ke Liang, do you believe in the Three Lives Stone? Even if we both die, we will still meet in front of the Three Lives Stone. Really, no matter what, we will meet. As long as you firmly believe that if we can't meet in this life, we definitely will in the next life."

Qin Jin said firmly, "We will all meet again at the Three Lives Stone. Me, Hei Bao, Shi Shi, you, Zi Ming, Lan Qi, Ying Qi, Mom, Xiao Qian, your parents, we will all meet again."

She took out the Three Lives Stone, that ordinary stone: "As long as we have love, we will meet. Our strength is so small, yet we have successfully captured the witch. Even if we fail, it doesn't matter. We will fight it again in the next life."

"Haha, in your next life, I'll beat you to a pulp, so you'll never have a chance to reincarnate, you won't even have a next life." The witch's voice appeared again, and this time, Ke Liang was completely controlled by the witch.

Qin Jin ignored the shaman's voice and simply held Ke Liang gently. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her back. It turned out that the shaman had Ke Liang pick up the sword on the ground and, while Qin Jin was embracing Ke Liang, stabbed him in the back with the sword.

Inch by inch, the cold intensifies; inch by inch, the pain intensifies. The sword pierces through Qin Jin's body from behind, but Qin Jin can only raise his bloodied hand, trying to touch Ke Liang's face.

However, Ke Liang was still so far away. She stepped back, blood flowing out of the barrier, her face turned to the sky, her hand pointing upwards, and then, as if asking Ke Liang or herself, she said, "Are there many stars up there? I really want to see them."

Pointing to the sky, she suddenly fell, crashing heavily to the ground. A single tear rolled down Qin Jin's cheek. That tear held the anger she felt upon first seeing Ke Liang, the sweetness of falling in love with him, and all the stories they shared—joy and pain—but no regret. Although Ke Liang had killed her, Qin Jin felt no remorse, never regretting meeting him or falling in love with him. The tear slid down Qin Jin's pale face and dripped onto the fallen Three Lives Stone.

Tears fell onto the Three Lives Stone, and the stone slowly emitted a strange light. The shaman's expression changed drastically. Seven-colored light shone from the Three Lives Stone. The light was so beautiful that everyone outside the barrier was attracted. The seven-colored light illuminated the hall as if it were daytime. The light grew stronger and stronger, as if it could penetrate Ke Liang's body and illuminate the girl in human form inside his heart. The girl had nowhere to escape from the light. She passed through Ke Liang's body and tried to run away, but the golden dragon still trapped her.

The light, which appeared peaceful and beautiful to others, became a sharp knife on the witch, cutting her apart bit by bit. Even if she tried to escape, the light could penetrate all obstacles, like a flying net of blades relentlessly stabbing her.

The witch screamed in despair, but the Three Lives Stone had already been opened. It ran as fast as it could, but it couldn't escape the golden dragon's range. Finally, in the increasingly intense light, the humanoid girl cracked open, shattered into pieces, and disappeared into the air.

The light of the Three Lives Stone also weakened, becoming weaker and weaker, as if it had completed its mission. Finally, it weakened to a single point and disappeared along with the Three Lives Stone.

The golden dragon flew back to the body of the four phases. Everyone remained silent for a long time. Two people lay on the ground—Qin Jin and Ke Liang. Lu Ziming ran up to them. Ying Qi and Uncle Li had disappeared. Only Ding Dong and the little monk were watching.

Lu Ziming helped Ke Liang up and kept patting his face. His eyes opened. The purification of the Three Lives Stone had not harmed him. He was not evil and could not be harmed at all. Instead, he was saved.

The first thing Ke Liang asked after waking up was, "Where's Qin Jin?"

The young monk couldn't bear it and secretly blocked his gaze from Qin Jin's corpse.

Everyone could see that Qin Jin was dead. Ke Liang realized something: "Where is Qin Jin?"

He rushed over. Qin Jin's body was still warm, but she had stopped breathing forever. Her smile was still on her lips, and her eyes were still looking at the sky. Perhaps the soul can see the stars after death.

Ke Liang just held her quietly, unable to say a word.

"She's dead. Do you want to exchange your life for her?" A voice came from the air. It was Grandpa's voice. Grandpa was also severely injured, but his soul had not been scattered.

"Grandpa," Ke Liang cried, "save her."

"Are you planning to use your status as a member of the Ke family to perform a ritual at the altar and ask the ancestral master to save him, just like your junior sister saved Jiang Anhua back then?" Grandpa's tone was stern, but he had hit the nail on the head regarding Ke Liang's thoughts.

"Grandpa, how did the Three Lives Stone come to be opened?"

"I don't know either, but perhaps the way to open the Three Lives Stone is with a lover's tear of unwavering devotion. The deep affection carried in Qin Jin's tear of unwavering devotion before her death opened the stone, unleashing its power to kill the witch and save you," Grandpa said.

"Grandpa, I must save her!"

"Really? You're going to risk your life to save her, and then leave her to suffer all the pain and longing?" Grandpa's voice was filled with anguish.

“Actually, the real pain is not death, but the longing that the living have to bear,” Grandpa said calmly, and then disappeared into the air.

"Grandpa, what's the connection between Hei Bao and Qin Jin? Why would Hei Bao sacrifice his life to save his master?" Lu Ziming asked, looking at Hei Bao.

"Who can say for sure? But if Blackie really has a spirit, seeing its master risk his life to save it, regardless of whether there was any debt of gratitude, any animal with a spirit will be loyal to its master. Animals are generally more loyal than humans," Grandpa said calmly.

Lu Ziming also looked at him. Ke Liang seemed to be stunned by those words and remained silent for a long time.

Lu Ziming shook his shoulder, and Ke Liang suddenly said, "I won't save her. Qin Jin wants me to believe that we will meet again at the Three Lives Stone. I can't let her come back to life and suffer so much pain. She's already blind. If she has to face such a difficult life, I'd rather bear that pain myself."

“Ke Liang.” Lu Ziming was speechless. He had felt the same way before. It would be too selfish to let Shishi come back to life and suffer the heartbreak he was experiencing now.

Death is not scary; what's scary is the feeling of missing someone while living a life worse than death.

The first rays of dawn broke through the darkness after the night's final struggle, illuminating the earth.

Qin Jin said that all these people would meet in front of the Three Lives Stone, no matter which reincarnation they were in. As long as there is love in their hearts, there will be a day when they meet again.

Waiting may be a sad thing, but there is always a faith in one's heart. Ke Liang picked up Qin Jin, Lu Ziming dragged Ding Dong, and the little monk held Hei Bao. Together they stepped out of the hall filled with the smell of blood. The old atmosphere was swept away by the sweet and fresh morning air with its mist, and everything seemed to be full of hope.

Ke Liang wasn't that sad. He believed that as long as he found the Three Lives Stone, he could find Qin Jin. Lu Ziming looked into the distance, thinking about the people and things he had met these past few days. He turned to Ke Liang and said, "I don't regret it. I don't regret meeting you all, I don't regret experiencing these things, and I don't regret having a brother like you."

Ke Liang smiled slightly: "I never knew police officers could be so sentimental."

The young monk clasped his hands together and chanted, "If you plant good seeds now, you will surely reap good results." Everyone's eyes were drawn to the rising sun, its golden rays illuminating the tranquil mountain village. Several children were running and chasing each other in the fields, their laughter echoing through the air.

Ke Liang suddenly put Qin Jin down, bowed to the little monk, and said, "I entrust my affairs to you after this." The little monk smiled and nodded, "You've finally let go, that's good."

Ke Liang strode forward, and Lu Ziming shouted, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find the Three Lives Stone. We'll meet again before it." As the figure faded into the distance, Lu Ziming suddenly woke up and chased after it, shouting as he ran, "Wait for me! I'll search with you!" His steps were filled with hope and determination.

As long as there is love in our hearts, we will surely meet again before the stone.

Do you believe in love?